Sioux Falls man indicted on rape, sexual contact charges

A Sioux Falls man has been indicted on charges of rape and sexual contact with a child after a 13-year-old girl reported he inappropriately touched her last year. 

The girl told police in January that a friend of her brother's had touched her genitals in September 2018, when she was 12, according to an affidavit in support of an arrest warrant. 

In an interview with Child's Voice relayed in court documents, the girl said she was sleeping when Jay Michael Cardenas put his hand down her pants multiple times. 

Cardenas, 19, was indicted by a Minnehaha County grand jury this week on a charge of first-degree rape and sexual contact with a child under 18. Cardenas is in custody on a $25,000 cash-only bond and is scheduled to make an initial court appearance next week. 

Email reporter Danielle Ferguson at dbferguson@argusleader.com, or follow on Twitter at @DaniFergs.